First ever interview for my blog and it's with Brent "Brentalfloss" Black? HECK YEAH! Highfives all round! [Excerpt] For those who don't know who he is, shame on you. Go to the youtube link at the bottom of the page right meow then come back here to enjoy the interview! Brentalfloss is widely known for his "What if ______ had lyrics?" youtube video series where he adds lyrics to classic game music, such as tracks from Zelda, Megaman, and Mario. Now, excuse me while I swoon from the sudden realization that I got to interview with Mr. Floss.

How long have you been playing music and when did your love of videogames and music first intertwine?       

            I first started goofing around on the piano around age 8. The first time music and video games intertwined for me was probably when I learned the overworld tune from Super Mario Bros. After that came Zelda, Dragon Warrior, and countless others.

What instruments do you play?

            I mostly stick to the piano, but I'm also familiar with guitar, drums, ukulele, and accordion.

What made you think of starting the "... with lyrics," series?

            Originally, I just thought it would be a funny idea to add lyrics to a video game tune I liked, and that led to a video. I didn't really think of it as a series until I saw the internet's response to "Mega Man 3 With Lyrics." Once I saw how many people liked it, I thought I'd try to capture lightning in a bottle a second time. After that, it stopped being a fluke and became a series.

What was your favorite "... with lyrics," video to make?

            My favorite one to make was probably the first one, because it was just a fun experiment. At this point, the fun part is being done with a new one and watching the comments roll in.

Where there any major differences between working on your first CD, What if this CD.... Had Lyrics?, and your second CD, Bits of Me?

            The main difference in the process was quality control. The first CD was an experiment in seeing whether we could pull off a high-quality album made of my silly brentalfloss stuff. Once the answer came back a resounding "YES," our challenge was to make an even better disc the second time around, which made my sound engineer and I a lot more aware of every step of the process.

How did you end up playing for Video Games Live? How was it?

            Basically, I attended a Q & A panel in Canada led by Tommy Tallarico. Afterwards, we started talking and he invited me to play a few shows. Definitely the best convention panel I ever went to (laughs).

Is there any other project that you are a part of that you would like more people to be aware of?

            I am working on some projects no one knows about yet, but sometimes I keep those things under wraps for a while, the way a magician might until he's perfected a card trick to show it to an audience. That said, I wish more people knew about "brentalfloss: The Comic," my webcomic. We're just a few weeks away from our 100th strip, but still less prominent than we'd like to be.

What are your plans for the future?

            My plans for the future? Paying the rent, feeding myself, and making my girlfriend happy. Seriously though, I want to continue striking a balance between making my fans happy and having fun with my work. If I focus too much on giving the fans everything they ask for, it can start to feel like slave labor which doesn't help the quality of the work. On the other hand, if I go off and focus only on the weird, "out there" stuff I want to try, my fan base might feel like I've turned my back on them. So it's all about balance, but as far as I'm concerned, the future is bright and full of possibilities!

Cody's still swooning - hard - so. . . umm. . . I'll just post this, then. -J.

Brent's youtube here!

Brent's website here!

Brent's twitter: @brentalfloss

My twitter: @THEcodybauman

John's twitter: @ThatMessageIsMe